Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Yep, omce BWM got involved, the prices skyrocketed. Her in the UK, the average car costs about $18,000. When the SMART car was initially released, it was $9,000 and you did not have to pay road tax and congestion charges. Now the price is stupid, but in places like London, it is still much more practical than most others. Stageman (an occassional poster), used to have it as a primary vehicle and he liked it). 2 people, a 4 beedroom house and a commute of 50 miles each day including motorway. It surprised me as Stageman is quite tall.
Originally Posted By DAR See a ripoff. You can get a much better car for around the same price. It's safer and has more room. Heck you could even get a negotiate a crossover vehicle.
Originally Posted By ecdc Yeah, I was shocked at that price. I really did think it would be around $10,000 and was even thinking of looking into it for a commuter car. Maybe you can get a bare bones one for less, but the one I looked at online wasn't exactly the Cadillac of Smart cars. CD Player: $1,000 Sunroof: $500 Getting made fun of when I pull up to work in one: Priceless
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Getting made fun of when I pull up to work in one: Priceless >>> Oh, that's nothing. I have a co-worker that Pricelines rental cars on every business trip, and for a couple of years, we'd invariably end up in a PT Cruiser. It's embarrassing to pull up to a customer site in one of those things and then have 3 guys in business suits get out.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< congestion charges >>> That's another consideration. For those of you that don't know, some cities such as London and Singapore have congestion charges for their central business districts, which basically is a toll for driving on any surface street within a certain boundary during business hours. The reason those schemes are put in place is because of near-gridlock traffic conditions. Imagine of you replaced a typical vehicle fleet in a downtown area in the US which currently consists of a good number of SUVs with Smart cars. You'd instantly have much less congestion and tons more parking from the simple fact that the cars are half the size of many of those on the road today, and the cars whether large or small tend to carry one passenger. This aspect of it has nothing to do with economy or saving the environment.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo and here in Europe, some of the larger firms started charging for parking with exemptions for Smart Cars and Prius.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***we'd invariably end up in a PT Cruiser*** <a href="http://limofan.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/pink-pt-cruiser-limo-front.jpg" target="_blank">http://limofan.net/wp-content/...ront.jpg</a> Yes, I can see how that could be embarrassing!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Funny, I loved my Mom's PT Cruiser, and I considered buying one. the poor turning circle and fuel efficiency rates turned me off.
Originally Posted By fkurucz I agree that the Smart is overpriced, not really a good fit for most American's commutes and that a standard 4 cylinder compact (domestic or import) would do the job much better and be far cheaper.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Saw a ton of Smart Cars in Milan and Rome. We have a dealer here near us but I don't see a lot of them on the roads. The one's I do see are being driven by the dealer and him family. But, I've also talked to him and he says he can't keep them on the lot. So, he is selling them but we aren't seeing them. Not sure where they are going.
Originally Posted By Ursula We don't seem to have a problem at all with attitudes and our PT Cruiser. I don't understand what is so wrong with business people using one. They are very spacious and comfortable.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 I don't think the Smart Car is aimed at rural Americans, or even suburban ones. It's perfect for big cities and congested areas. I also look at it as basically a covered motorcycle. It's very tiny and you really can't do any major shopping with it, but I can see it as a commuter car. I've seen them around NYC, and they fit into parking spaces sideways even! I just don't see the use for them once you have to make long commutes...not that practical. Also, the price is a little high for what you're getting...not that consumer friendly if you ask me.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <When the SMART car was initially released, it was $9,000 and you did not have to pay road tax and congestion charges. Now the price is stupid, but in places like London, it is still much more practical than most others.> Now, see, if it was 9K, it would get consideration - especially here in NYC, and definitely if they ever impose congestion pricing here as they've floated. In a city like London or Rome it would make perfect sense. I don't see them making lots of inroads in the US outside of a few densely packed cities (NY, Boston, SF maybe) unless the price came way down. At 18K you might as well get a regular small car that you'd be more comfortable taking on the highway and could actually fit a couple of friends in.
Originally Posted By Ursula They are popular here in Los Angeles. We see three or four of them each day. Then again, we live in the land of the car. They are also trendy amongst a certain set of spoiled kids.
Originally Posted By mele My husband a tiny car for years and one April Fool's Day, one of his coworkers/friends stuck a Domino's delivery sign on the top. He still has that stupid sign but it cracks me up whenever I see it.
Originally Posted By alexbook This is the best argument I've heard against buying the Smart car: >>Amsterdam craze: tossing Smart cars into the canals Amsterdam, July 25, 2009 [DutchAmsterdam.nl] — Amsterdam police is deeply concerned about a new craze in which vandals toss parked cars from the Smart brand into the city’s canals. The so-called ‘Smart tossing’ takes place mainly during the weekend, when many youths are out for a night on the town. According to locally-published newspaper De Telegraaf police has not wanted to publicize this form of vandalism for fear of copy-cat incidents. However, police officers are paying extra attention to Amsterdam’s canals, especially during the weekends.<< >>Alongside most canals a low guard rail helps prevent cars from taking a dip, but the Smart car is small enough to be lifted and tossed. It is not clear how many Smart cars have been vandalized this way, but an employee of Smart Center Amsterdam confirmed the company has recently been confronted with it ‘a number of times.’<< <a href="http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/707-amsterdam-smart-car-canals" target="_blank">http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/7...r-canals</a>
Originally Posted By TomSawyer If it cost less than $10,000 and got better fuel economy than larger cars then it would make sense. As it is, it does only one thing well - fit into small spots.
